


the soldier.

by discodancing



Series: the jailbird. [3]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Dream is a dick, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Inspired by an Oh Hellos Song, Sapnap Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), THIS IS NOT RPF!, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, but sorta is, it’s not current canon compliant, semi-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29796450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/discodancing/pseuds/discodancing
Summary: the soldier has a poetkingwhatever, but things are difficult when they are separated.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: the jailbird. [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2174445
Kudos: 7





	the soldier.

**Author's Note:**

> hello! sorry for the wait on the update if anyone is waiting for it! ive got three short notes before we start :]
> 
> —this is part of a series called ‘the jailbird’! please read the first two pieces for a better experience— it’ll help you understand this one better! 
> 
> —NOT RPF! this piece takes place within the fictional universe that is the dream SMP. this utilizes the characters within the SMP and not the real people who portray them. any similarities to their real life counterparts are not intentional! 
> 
> —i am caught up on canon, though this series is not! this takes place BEFORE tommy was trapped in the prison.

The soldier is a strong man because soldiers must be strong, and he is a servant because soldiers do not ever fight for themselves. 

The soldier is not a man of much independent thought, only of care and a strange desire to follow orders. He’s the king of being second choice, and maybe in another world he’d be upset about that fact, but here he is fine only because he needs to be. The soldier is smart but not as smart as Dream because he is not allowed to be— he is a weapon, a sword, only the candle that holds the flame. ‘

The soldier serves Dream because he’s never known serving anyone else, and as much as it may suck to feel like he has no other choices, it is much better than being alone. An iron fist grips him, keeps him stuck, as he is a right hand man and right hand men need to know their places. 

The soldier loves his king, his poet, but he does not live in a world that is kind to him. The world is cruel, and the soldier’s king has landed himself in prison. It is where he belongs, but the soldier would rather it be anyone else. When he is without his king, he is also without his purpose, and there is nothing more he wants than to have purpose. Soldiers must have purpose, because without purpose they are not soldiers, only people. He does not like people— they confuse him, they are far too much, and he can only deal with a few of them at a time. This is why he likes Dream. Dream is so hard to figure out so the soldier does not try anymore, and that is the way he likes it. 

The soldier does not have a real name, or maybe he does, but he doesn’t remember it anymore because he has no need for real names. He is only the soldier, sometimes referred to as Sapnap, more commonly as just some dude. It’s okay, though, because he doesn’t need a name to do his job correctly. 

—

The prison is certainly not the soldier’s favourite place in the world. Its presence feels oppressive, almost, like it hates everything he stands for. The soldier stands not for himself, so maybe he shouldn’t be blamed, but he also thinks that maybe he’s reading too far into things. It’s just a building, one that he’s spent hours upon hours in at Dream’s request. Dream is lonely. The soldier only knows to help and not to question. 

When the lava cascades downwards, the soldier does not hesitate to step onto the platform and allow himself to move forwards, closer to his poetkingwhatever, because there is something that feels like comfort in the chilling stare he’s met with. Those green eyes do not lie to the soldier, they do not tell him anything that is not true. 

The green eyes, when the soldier approaches, do not feign warmth, but there is adoration laid within them, because the soldier knows that Dream loves him. It’s a strange, twisted way of love but it is love nonetheless and that is a comforting thought. The smile on Dream’s face is sinister as it always is, it says ‘come here, my soldier, and never leave me’ but he finds himself following the order as he is meant to anyway. It’s scary, sure, but it is also comforting because it’s what he finds himself used to. 

The lava is not quick to engulf them, but they wait for it to speak anyways. They sit in a tense silence as the gaze of the warden moves over them, like he can see into their souls. The eyes of the warden are scary because they hold knowledge like nobody else does. The soldier avoids the thoughtful eyes for as long as they lay on him, until the lava engulfs the cell and the soldier and his poetkingwhatever are left together.

“Sapnap,” Dream says, and the soldier exhales because his name feels foreign on Dream’s lips, like he hasn’t heard it in ages. His fiancés say it but it sounds different, it sounds less like a curse and more like a blessing because they love him. 

The soldier does not know which version of his name hurts him more. He doesn’t bother to think very hard on it, especially not in front of Dream. Dream does not have a soft spot for the soldier as he does for his lover, so the soldier does not wish to make Dream angry. 

“Dream,” the soldier says. “I heard you fought with George.” 

Dream only shrugs, like it was to be expected— maybe he’s right. The two, the poetkingwhatever and his lover, are very much in love, but they butt heads like nobody’s business. Never has the soldier seen two people so different love each other so much that it hurts them.

“Yup,” Dream responds, and he pops the p like it’s casual. 

“What went down?” The soldier prods, because he is concerned and he wants to show that much. It is natural for a soldier to be concerned for those he serves, even if they are his best friends. He loves them dearly. 

“He was being stubborn, so I got upset. Then he walked out on me.”

The soldier pauses, because he knows this is not true. He’d spoken to George the moment he returned from the prison, because he’d been directly on the verge of a paranoid panic. He’d asked the soldier if, maybe, he thought Dream would come after him. The soldier had told him no, because Dream loves him more than anyone else. The lover had paled at those words. The soldier tries not to think about that interaction as he states at Dream’s condescending green eyes. 

He feels gross just looking at it, but he is the soldier and Dream is the poetkingwhatever, so he does not voice how it feels. It’s okay, because soldiers serve. 

“Okay.” The soldier says, because he is a man made of fear only when it comes to Dream, who looms over him in every way imaginable. 

“So, what’s been up with you?” Dream asks, and the soldier knows it’s idle chit-chat and it’s not as if Dream actually cares. It’s more likely that he’ll forget within the next few minutes, but it’s okay as long as they’re together. The soldier has certainly missed his poetkingwhatever.

“Not much, since you’ve been gone.” The soldier says, voice somber as always. “No jobs to do anymore.”

They have long stopped pretending that they are on equal footing, that they are best friends and nothing else. They have stopped pretending that they are not similar to the roles of a master and servant, but they do not speak of it because it’s somewhat awkward. The soldier does not like to consider his own subservience. 

“Hm? I’ve got something you can do, then.” Dream says.

The soldier may be just a little bit ashamed of the way he perks up, ready to just feel useful. 

“Could you put me in contact with Karl? I need his help with something.” 

The soldier knows that this can go nowhere good, but he does not make a habit of disobeying anymore. He nods.

“Sure thing, Dream.”

**Author's Note:**

> aaand here we are! i hope you enjoyed reading and if you did, please leave a kudos or comment to tell me that you liked it! 
> 
> thank you and have wonderful rest of your day, kind reader!


End file.
